Tool boxes



y 1956 L. c. PUDDY 2,747,780

TOOL BOXES Filed Dec. 15; 1952 IN VEN TOR.

5 LEO C. PubbY BY F a. 5 g? zk 4.). W

A-rroaNaY United States Patent 2,747,780 TOOL BOXES Leo C. Puddy, Fond du Lac, Wis. Application December 15, 1952, Serial No. 325,937 1 Claim. (Cl. 224--42.42)

This invention relates to improvements in tool boxes and particularly such tool boxes especially adapted for farm tractors.

Many farm tractors do not have any or have any inadequate provision for storing tools used to hitch and unhitch various implements to the tractor and to adjust such implements.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide an adequately sized tool box which may be easily installed on tractors in a convenient space not otherwise usable.

On many tractors there is space below the steering rod and between the steering rod supporting post and the gas tank or part of the engine hood. To provide an adequately large box that will fit in such space, the front wall of the box is provided with a well or recess which receives such post. The top of the box is hinged to the rear wall of the box and has an opening in alinement with such well. Thus such opening will fit around the steering rod to let the cover be raised high enough for proper access to the box. The box may be hung on a bracket secured to such post, such bracket acting as a support for headlights.

The novel features, which are considered characteristic of the invention, are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view in front elevation of a tool box embodying the present invention shown secured to the lamp bracket on the steering rod support post of a tractor;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said tool box taken from line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with part broken away;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 with the cover being shown in raised position by broken lines;

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation taken from the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the tool box is carried by the lamp bracket 14 mounted on a vertical post 12 which supports a substantially horizontal steering rod 10. The bracket 14 sometimes furnished as auxiliary equipment in secured to the post 12 by U-bolts 13. On many tractors there is enough space forward of such post and below such steering rod to place a tool box sufficiently large to be of practical value. In this position the box will not interfere with the operator and will be readily accessible from the tractor seat.

The tool box has a front wall 15, a rear wall 16, a bottom 17, and two side walls. The rear wall 16 may be joined to the side walls by rounded corners. In order to lit the tool box in the place described, to economize on such space, and make it easy to secure the box to such bracket, the front wall 16 has an inward bend 24 of general U-shape in cross-section and the bottom 17 is cut away to aline with such bend. There is thus formed a Well or recess extending entirely through the top and bottom of the box deep enough to receive practically all of the U-bolts 13 and vertical post 12. This brings the front wall very close to the bracket 14.

To secure the box to the bracket 14 the front wall 15 is provided with a pair of hooks 18 which fit over the upper edges of the bracket 14 in the manner shown. The

box is held with such hooks in engaging position by a pair of adjustable clamps 20 having a portion overlapping such bracket and another portion held by screws 22 threaded in nuts 23 welded to the inside of front wall 15. The box is easily installed or removed because it will hang in place while the clamps are being set.

Another feature of this invention is hinging a cover 26 to the rear wall 16 by hinges 30 and providing such cover with a U-shaped opening 32 corresponding to the well in the box. Thus the front edge of the top 26 swings up and away from the post 12 so that access is easy from the drivers seat. The same opening 32 which accommodates such post also accommodates the steering rod 10 to permit of a maximum opening of such top. The cover may have a depending skirt 28 which in the closed position overlies the sides of the box except at the well.

In order to lift and keep the cover 26 in open position a pair of fiat springs 34 have lower legs clamped against the inside of rear wall 16 by spring holders 35 and upper legs pressing against the under side of the top 26. Whenever the cover is unlatched these springs will force it upwardly and hold it in the position shown in the broken lines of Fig. 3. The cover 26 is held in closed position against the tension in such springs by a spring latch 36 secured to the inner side of the front wall 15. The top 26 has an opening 38 in alinement with such latch through which the latch projects in the closed position of the cover. A tooth on the upper end of the latch engages the top as shown in Fig. 5. To unlatch the cover the upper end of the latch 36 is pressed inwardly of the front wall 15. This releases the tooth from the edge of the opening 38 and the cover swings up by the force in such flat springs.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it will be understood that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claim.

I claim:

The combination with a vertical post, a substantially horizontal steering rod carried by said post, and a lamp bracket secured to said post below said rod, of a tool box carried by said bracket below said steering rod and on the opposite side of said post from said lamp bracket, said box having a flat front wall with an inward bend of general U-shape in cross-section to provide a well fitting partly around said post, said box having its bottom cut away in alinement with said well, a cover hinged to said box so as to have a front edge in alinement with said front wall which swings upwardly and away from said front wall to open position, the front edge of said cover having an opening alined with said well in the closed position of said cover and partly fitting around said post, said opening receiving said steering rod therein during the opening of said cover, a pair of hooks secured to said front wall and fitted over the upper edge of said bracket to support said box, and a pair of adjustable clamps on said front wall overlapping the lower edge of said bracket to secure said box in position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 895,124 Sundee Aug. 4, 1908 934,792 Card Sept. 21, 1909 1,456,247 Miller May 22, 1923 1,484,559 Rector Feb. 19, 1924 1,665,642 Sankey Apr. 10, 1928 1,798,401 Danielson Mar. 31, 1931 1,898,835 Henderson Feb. 21, 1933 2,005,285 Woody June 18, 1935 2,211,994 Wagenknecht Aug. 20, 1940 2,252,579 Rosen Aug. 12, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 244,975 Switzerland June 16, 1947 

